The 7 best new movies on HBO and Max in May 2023

While HBO Max can now be Maximum, there are still plenty of new movies to watch on the streaming service. From the early hits of young-adult actors and actresses like Dakota Fanning and Jaden Smith to one of Will Smith’s emotional films and the 2020 Oscar winner Parasite, there are options for every kind of audience, even for those who love superheroes. .

“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” lands on the streamer after its theatrical release in March. The renaming of Max preceded Sydney Sweeney’s next project “Reality”, the TV movie taken from an FBI transcript. A Snow White story camp is also available for streaming.

Here are seven of the best new movies to watch at Max in May.

Dreamer: Inspired By A True Story (2005)

Horse girls of the past, present and future need look no further than “Dreamer: Inspired By A True Story,” starring Kurt Russel, Kris Kristofferson, baby Dakota Fanning, David Morse and Luiz Guzmán . Cale Crane (Fanning) comes from a line of horse breeders, owners and racers, but it’s been a while since her family has owned a horse of their own. Cale’s father Ben (Kurt Russell) examines the horses on race days to make sure they are healthy enough to run. One day, when a racehorse named Sonador goes down the track after breaking her leg, Cale fights for Sona’s life and rehabilitation to put her down. Recovery may see her walking again, but her struggle is considered non-existent. The Cranes take a chance. Crane and Sonador’s family triumph is nerve-wracking as the family grows closer than ever by helping to heal and train Sonador and her rider Manolin or “Manny” (Freddy Rodríguez) for the Breeder’s Cup.

The Karate Kid (2010)

The remake of the 1984 classic starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita brings in some heavy hitters for the dynamic duo of Daniel and Mr. Miyagi. In the 2010 version, the couple was renamed – Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) moves to China for his mother’s work. Maintenance Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) saves Dre from a brutal beating by his classmates, who have bullied him for his crush on Mei Jing (Wenwen Han). When Dre comes to and finds Mr. Khan helping him recover, he asks the maintenance guy to teach him karate so he can defend himself. Han incorporates unique discipline methods into Dre’s instruction, much to the approval of Dre’s mother, Sherry Parker (Taraji P. Henson). Viewers can expect the epic collaboration between Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith, “Never Say Never,” which has a great rap verse, during the credits.

The story continues

Mirror, Mirror (2012)

The Snow White tale gets a twist with the help of Julia Roberts’ Evil Queen, Lily Collins’ Snow White, Armie Hammer’s Prince Alcott, Nathan Lane’s Brighton and Sean Bean’s King. For those eager for “Emily in Paris” season 4, Lily Collins brings her own whimsy to the film, in which Julia Roberts’ queen has taken control of a kingdom from an exiled Snow White. The princess in question recruits seven men to help her take back what is rightfully hers by birth. This movie also boasts of a catchy post-credit song.

Collateral Beauty (2016)

Will Smith plays Howard, a bereaved father grieving the loss of his daughter. Howard’s letters to Love, Time and Death receive personal responses from people who portray the recipients of these letters, in the wake of his daughter Olivia’s death. Naomie Harris plays Madeline, who runs a support group for people who have lost their children. Howard attends the group, but doesn’t have much to contribute until Madeline pushes him further. Helen Mirren as Brigitte, Kate Winslet as Claire, Edward Norton as Whit, Michael Peña as Simon and Keira Knightly as Amy round out the emotional film.

Parasite (2019)

Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite’ is a must-watch, especially since it won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2020. The Kim family of four slowly takes over the luxurious life of the Park family, starting with son Kim Ki-Woo (Choi Woo- sik) looking after the eldest daughter. Ki Woo takes his sister Kim Ki-Jung (Park So-dam) home as an art therapist for the Parks’ youngest son. Patriarch Kim Ki-Taek (Song Kang-ho) becomes the chauffeur and matriarch Kim Chung-sook (Jang Hye-jin) becomes the housekeeper. Depending on viewers’ tolerance for thrillers, the ending of the film may or may not keep you up at night with how shocking it gets.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

After hitting theaters in March, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is now available to stream on Max. The sequel to “Shazam!” (2019) starring Zachary Levi as the title character, “Fury of the Gods” features Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren as the gods Kalypso and Hespera, respectively. The gods come to earth in search of the wizard Shazam’s (Djimon Hounsou) wand that Billy broke at the end of the last movie. The sequel expands on the story of Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who can transform into the adult superhero alter ego of “Shazam!” when he says the magic phrase. Billy doesn’t want to leave his foster family once he’s an adult. His step-brother and best friend Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) has gone off on his own to become a solo superhero and hunt down Ann (Rachel Zegler) at school.

Reality (2023)

Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney leads the reality TV movie, which airs May 29. The reality show winner (Sweeney) returns home one day to two FBI agents waiting for her in Augusta, Georgia to question her. The agents (Josh Hamilton and Marchand Davis) want to know if a classified document regarding Russian interference in the 2016 US election was leaked. The dialogue is taken directly from an FBI transcript revealing the conversation that took place at the 25-year-old Realty’s home. The Air Force veteran and yoga instructor goes undercover for two hours for her job as an intelligence contractor. The film is written and directed by Tina Satter with photography by Paul Yee.